


like a token on a knight’s armor, I take your shirt with me

by driedupwishes



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Domestic Fluff, Lazy Mornings, M/M, Sharing Clothes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-14
Updated: 2015-08-14
Packaged: 2018-04-14 14:35:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,550
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4568163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/driedupwishes/pseuds/driedupwishes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Wall reclaimed, Eren tries to sneak out of bed to go help Hanji without waking his love. He doesn’t quite get away with it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	like a token on a knight’s armor, I take your shirt with me

Eren rolled out of bed with the sun, leaving the warmth of the body tucked against the wall, chest twitching with regret that was dulled with the knowledge he’d return to it at night. Hanji had wanted to do a circling check of their section of the recovered wall and needed him even earlier than usual, so he tried to be quiet as he dressed, scooping up his gear belts to put on when he found them outside. But his effort to be as quiet as possible was made moot by a yawn, followed by a huff, followed by his name, whispered hoarsely and heavily and familiarly.

“Hey,” Eren said, pulling the shirt down over his hips before turning and bending back over the bed. He let the bundle of belts drop to the ground, snorting quietly at the twitch of annoyance that earned him. Levi peered at him through long lashes, curling into the space Eren had left, a sprawl of loose limbs made of muscles and scars that Eren knew well.

“That’s my _shirt_ ,” Levi muttered, reaching up for him with one sleep heavy arm. Eren had found years ago that his captain and love was not a person who woke easily, not unless there was danger. They’d wasted many a morning hiding from responsibilities, curled beneath the sheets as Levi slowly dragged his mind into the waking world. Eren would have liked to spend this morning the same way, but Hanji was not a patient person and he’d learned his lesson on that.

“Yes, it is,” Eren said, because it was Levi’s shirt. He ducked down for a kiss, letting Levi hook his arm around his neck to pull him down under he was crawling back onto the edge of the bed and putting a hand down over Levi’s shoulder for stability. The kiss was warm and dry, slow in the way Levi was to wake, and Eren loved it.

Levi’s hand wandered from around behind Eren’s head, sliding across his shoulders before dragging down his arm. Eren shuddered into the kiss at the feeling, flushing a little when Levi smiled and chuckled lowly against his mouth. He pulled back from the kiss with hot cheeks and a pound in his heart, rocking back on his heels as he slid off the edge of the bed. Levi smiled at him, toothily and unrepentant.

“If you lose this the same way you lost my favorite jacket, I’ll have you organizing my paperwork for the next week,” Levi threatened, voice warm and lazy. Eren blinked, nose wrinkling in confusion. He didn’t remember swiping Levi’s jacket, nor did he remember losing one…

“It dwarfed you then,” Levi continued in a murmur, soft like he was sharing a secret. “You’ve grown, you frustrating menace. Taller and broader. Thank god you’ve seemed to stopped that, though; if you’d grown much more you’d rip my shirts at the seams.”

Eren was even more confused than before, but his love pretend-griping about the height he’d gained in the years since joining, the width of his shoulders that nearly put him on the same level of their commander was a familiar thing. He ducked down, brushing a hand over Levi’s cheek, poised to ask what in the world Levi was talking about when Eren suddenly remembered.

“Your jacket,” Eren whispered, eyes widening. Levi only chuckled, reaching up to curl his fingers between Eren’s, which had gone limp. He blinked, but he couldn’t focus right on his love, caught up in the memory.

Fifteen and the feeling of the courtroom pain still ripe in his mind, they’d been set to leave for the headquarters where they would stay for a month before never returning. Eren hadn’t known that at the time, following along with the orders he was given. He’d been nervous around Levi, despite knowing the scene in the courtroom was all for show, because Humanity’s Strongest was right there. He’d wanted, more than anything, to impress him, to show all this trouble was worth it. He’d only had his shirt, his trainee jacket lost from his initial transformation, and at the time he’d been just inside the doorway, out of sight while Petra readied his horse.

Someone had clucked their tongue behind him, scorn evident, and Eren had whirled, coming face to face with his new captain. Their height difference had only been a few inches, but Eren remembered still being nervous about looking down at the man who rolled his eyes and crossed his arms at the jumpy way Eren flew into a salute.

“Stand down,” Levi had said, short with temper taht even then Eren had known wasn’t directed at him. Eren had nervously put his arm down, fidgeting while Levi had looked him up and down. Another eyeroll, another noise of disgust, and then Levi had said, “they were supposed to find you a jacket.”

“Uh,” Eren had said. It had been about the level of articulation Levi had inspired in him until after everything had gone to hell and he’d lost the time to be so nervous under the weight of his guilt.

Levi’s lips had twitched, he remembered that clearly. It might have been the first time Levi had wanted to smile at him, which made his chest tight as he blinked down at his love in their bed, reliving the memory inside his head.

“You gave me your jacket because they couldn’t find one there,” Eren whispered. He flushed, aware that he sounded like his fifteen year old self, star-struck by Levi all over again. “It was big in the shoulders and short in the sleeves, but when Petra found me a new one I told her no. I… I lost in after the fight with Annie in the woods.”

Levi’s smile was wide and warm and a little proud as he reached up to drag Eren down into another kiss. Levi fisted a hand in the collar of the shirt Eren wore to drag him down and Eren went, more than willing, into the sweetest, softest kiss of the morning.

“You looked ridiculous in that dumb jacket,” Levi told him, eyes warm like a melting river in the spring. “I much prefer you in this shirt.”

Eren didn’t know what to say to that, chest tight with affection and throat clogged with memories. He ended up crawling back on the edge of the bed and pressing down against Levi, kissing him again soundly, licking into Levi’s mouth when he laughed, low and happy, at Eren’s reaction.

“I love you,” Eren told him, pulling back to lean over him. He needed to go and meet Hanji or they’d be bursting into their room, but Eren didn’t want to go. “Levi, I-“

“I love you too,” Levi said softly, reaching up to cup Eren’s jaw. He swiped his thumb down Eren’s throat and Eren swallowed, ducking to lean his forehead against Levi’s shoulder. Levi pressed a kiss against the top of his head and stroked down his spine. “But if you don’t leave now Hanji will come bursting in here and I still have sleep to catch up on. Not all of us can be young and sprightly, you know.”

Eren drew back slowly and slid off the bed’s edge. He reminded himself that at the end of the day they’d come back to the room and then he could show Levi how much he loved him, all over again. For now he had duties to attend to.

“You can’t hide from your paperwork forever, old man,” Eren teased, leaning down to retrieve the belts he’d dropped. All he had left were his boots by the door, which he planned to take with him as well. If he stayed in this room any longer he was going to say fuck Hanji and crawl back in that bed with Levi.

“I can _try_ ,” Levi said, borderline a whine as he scrunched down under their covers some more. After a second he peeked open one eye, solemn and serious as he peered up at Eren.

“Be safe,” he requested softly. Eren’s heart squeezed.

“I’ll be back before you can miss me,” he promised, leaning over to kiss Levi once more despite his need to leave. Levi pressed up into the kiss, but didn’t haul him back to bed. It was probably for the best.

“That’s impossible,” Levi muttered against his lips. “Now _go_.”

Eren swallowed as he rocked back onto his heels, taking one last look at the dark haired man he loved. Then without a word he turned, marching toward the door and only pausing to duck down for his boots, which he tucked under his arm as he opened the door and closed it firmly shut behind him.

Hanji was waiting for him at the end of the hall with a knowing smile, eyes bright as they said, “nice shirt, Eren.”

“Thanks,” he said dryly, still thinking of the man he loved. “If I lose it I’m on paperwork duty for a week.”

Hanji’s laughter was loud before they whirled to lead the way toward the stables. Eren followed, padding along barefooted, as he left the building with a twinge of longing soothed by the knowledge Levi was safe, a day full of trainees and paperwork ahead of him.

**Author's Note:**

> walked the vegas strip last week when i was out on the west coast and literally could not stop thinking about this idea. scribbled it down for the bae and then posted it for the son to read, lmao. cleaned it up a little from tumblr.
> 
> i hope you enjoyed!


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